Twilight is a lovely time of day. On the other hand, it’s too dark to see much. With outdoor lighting, you can enjoy the evening hours in relaxed comfort without setting a foot inside. Your property can emit a gentle, illuminating glow that will see you safely though the dark of the night.
You can turn up the brightness or incorporate the most subtle of strategic accents in key locations. The design and functionality of the lights you choose and where those lights are placed will greatly affect the results you achieve.
Colored lights can create an ambiance of warmth, comfort and festivity. Outdoor lighting can be used to define the perimeter of an outdoor room. When artfully placed, outdoor lighting can turn on the glow in an outside space so effectively that it’s almost like having an additional room attached to your house.
Does Outdoor Lighting Increase Property Value?
Adding outdoor lights to a property can indeed raise its value. According to Consumer Reports, LED lighting, installed outdoors on a residential property, can elevate the value of that property by up to three percent.
The consensus among realtors is that outdoor lighting can increase the value of a home by as much as 20%. If you plan to sell your home within a few years, an investment in outdoor lights now can fetch you a good return later. In the meantime, you can luxuriate in the illuminated, open-air rooms.
What Do Homebuyers Want?
Many homeowners want to use outdoor lighting to highlight architectural features of their homes and landscaping. A recent Realtor.com poll revealed that more than 50% of homebuyers want outdoor rooms and outdoor living spaces more than other trending features like open floor plans.
Today’s homeowners want maximum value for their real estate investment dollar. Outdoor rooms make homes feel bigger, and outdoor lights make your property look larger.
Lighted outdoor spaces are much more affordable and much less disruptive than home additions and remodels that can upend your life for weeks.
LED lights add soft lighting to koi ponds, large statuary, colorful foliage and swimming pools. LED lighting can also be used for submerged pool lighting, fountains and decks.
Outdoor kitchens are in high demand with homebuyers these days, especially when all food prep and cleanup can be completed there. Meanwhile, you can keep your indoor kitchen spotless.
Landscaping Matters
A house with strong curbside appeal is more likely to captivate a buyer than a house without it, even if the house without it has a stunning interior. When it comes to selling a house, first impressions mean everything. Realtors tell us that landscaping “sells the house.”
If you want to show off your landscaping after the sun goes down, outdoor lighting can artfully accent your grounds. Good landscaping brings out the best in a property, and outdoor lighting takes good landscaping to the next level.
A lovely exterior makes potential buyers assume that the inside is as awesome as the outside. We know it’s not always true, but we think it anyway. We also conclude that the seller has taken good care of the rest of the property as well.
The opposite is also true. Poor landscaping can cause homebuyers to conclude that the rest of the house is probably a mess as well.
The Power of Landscape Lighting
A home might have epic landscaping, but without outdoor lights to illuminate it, you might as well not bother. Any landscape design worth its salt will include outdoor landscape lights as accents. Buyers want both, so if you have gorgeous landscaping, you’re already halfway there.
Outdoor lighting is not expensive, and there are options for every budget. Regardless of the outdoor lights you choose, you’ll be letting potential buyers know that you care about the value of your property.
If you want to keep outdoor lighting costs low, take a look at LED lighting. LED lights use 80% less energy than traditional lights, and they can last for 17 years. You can expect an estimated savings of up to $745 per light fitting when replaced with LED.
Solar lights are another affordable outdoor lighting option. Each light is fitted with a photovoltaic cell that takes in sunshine by day and stores it in a battery to produce light after dark.
Lights powered by solar energy are portable, and you can install them yourself. Solar lights are eco-friendly, and because they’re wireless, you won’t be digging any trenches.
Another benefit of investing in outdoor lights is safety. Working together with your home security system, landscape lighting can discourage would-be intruders from prowling around on your property.
If your landscape is clearly visible, your neighbors are more likely to notice any suspicious activity on your property. Additionally, stairways and walkways that are illuminated can prevent trips, slips and falls.
What’s Your Outdoor Lighting Vision?
All it takes to create a fabulous outdoor space is comfortable seating, a few tables, a grill or a fire pit, outdoor lights and landscaping that provides shelter and privacy. Outdoor rooms can be used for any purpose, and the lighting can be custom-designed according to your preferences.
Outdoor spaces are an extension of your home. Well-designed outdoor rooms should be consistent with your home’s style and character. The transition between outdoor spaces and indoor spaces should be seamless and fluent.
Regardless of how amazing your new outdoor lighting installation will look, avoid the trap of thinking that more lighting will be even better. Most of the time, just the opposite is true. Too much light can make your property look more like a football stadium during game time than a residence.
At Oregon Outdoor Lighting, we excel in the planning, development and installation of high-quality, low voltage LED outdoor landscape lights. Our custom outdoor LED lighting designs are tailored to precisely meet your needs, and the design possibilities are practically endless.
